The Four Stages of Competence
Learning something new — whether it’s a skill, a coping strategy or a new role in perhaps a job, internship or class — often follows a predictable (and sometimes frustrating) path. Understanding the stages can help normalise the discomfort that comes with our growth and development.
1. Unconscious Incompetence At this stage, we’re unaware of what we don’t yet know. We might not recognise a skill is missing — or why it matters. This could be at the beginning of a class, where you don’t quite know what the content and course entails.
2. Conscious Incompetence Now we see the gap. We know what we don’t know — and that can feel discouraging. This is where self-doubt often shows up. This is a sign that we now know more about the topic or situation, enough to know what we don’t know! In an internship, this could feel like admiring colleagues and worrying about not knowing what exactly is going on. We might feel imposter syndrome here, like an overwhelming feeling of not-good-enough. This is normal and part of the process.
3. Conscious Competence At this stage we’ve started learning. We can apply the skill or knowledge, but it still takes focus and effort. Things may feel clunky and effortful to execute. At work, this might look like picking tasks that we know we can complete with some or no support from colleagues or resources.
4. Unconscious Competence Eventually, the skill becomes second nature. We no longer have to think about it — it simply becomes part of how we move through the world. Tasks at work take less effort and no longer require external support to complete. We feel confident in our ability to get the job done.
This model is often helpful in therapy, especially when learning new skills, such as for emotion regulation, communication or unlearning old patterns.
Disclaimer: This post is for psychoeducational purposes and is not a substitute for therapy.
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